Government:
In Slovakia, there is one type of government, Parliamentary Democracy. The head of government is the Prime Minster Robert Fico, since July 2, 2006. Their constitution was ratified on September 1, 1992, effective on January 1, 1993, and then later changed on September of 1998 to allow direct election of the president. The three main systems in Slovakia's government is the legislative, executive, and judiciary system. The only legislative body in the Slovak Republic is the National Council of Slovak Republic. The council consists of 150 members of parliament, each elected for a four-year term. These members are elected by a fair secret ballot. The executive consists of the president being the head of the Slovak Republic. The president preforms their duties of the office in accordance to his or her conscience. A Slovakian citizen is eligible to vote(all Slovaks over the age of 18). Citizens of Slovakia chooses a president for a five-year by secret ballots. Candidates for a president can be nominated by at least 15 members of the parliament or by at least 15,000 citizen voters. A candidate must receive the majority of the votes in order to win. The judiciary system is composed of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic along with other courts. The Constitutional Court is an independent judicial authority with the ability to confirm laws with the constitution. If the court finds that laws or regulations violate the constitution then they have six months to improvise them.
People:
The ethnic composition of the population in Slovakia is very diverse. For example, eighty-five percent of the population consists of ethnic Slovaks. Hungarians make up the largest minority group with ten percent of citizenry. Germans, Czechs, Poles, Ruthenians, and Ukrainians amount to more than 0.3 percent of the total. There exists a substantial Romany, or Gypsy, community, contributing to around 2 percent of the population. Major religions practiced in Slovakia are: Christianity, Catholicism(sixty percent of nation's people), Orthodox Christians(four percent), Lutheranism, and almost ten percent of people claim themselves as atheists. A holiday celebrated in Slovakia is, All Daints' Day. All Saints' Day is a Christian feast that honors all the saints. It is an annual religious celebration that takes place on November 1. Marriages in Slovakia are considered as rites of passage. In Slovakian weddings, before the couple exchanges their wedding vows, a child is placed on their bed to bless them with children in the future. Also the bride is given three covered dishes: the first one contains wheat, a symbol of fertility; a mixture of millet and ash is in the second dish, and the bride has to sift through the mixture in order to display her patience; and the third dish contains a sparrow hidden under the lid for good luck. The wedding ceremony takes place in a local chapel in the presence of friends and family members. After the wedding the bride changes her wedding veil and puts on a matron's bonnet, which completes her transformation from a single woman to a married one. Traditional Slovakian songs are sung, and this ritual is followed by a big reception. Singing, dancing, dining, and rituals are an integral part of the reception. As is customary the bride has to cover her head with a handkerchief and, taking up a broom, has to sweep the area near the reception hall to the tune of a polka, a lively dance that originated in Bohemia and spread to many countries in the region.
Society:
The current state of Slovakia's economy is not so good. Unemployment and corruption have been persistent problems for the post–cold war governments, and exports have significantly declined as the nation's traditional markets, including Russia and the Ukraine, have endured their own economic problems. The majority of the jobs involve manufacturing and agriculture. The main industries are metal products, food and beverages, nuclear fuel, ceramics, rubber products, mining, electricity, gas, coke, oil, machinery, textiles, chemicals, and paper and printing. Weapons manufacturing was a major industry during the cold war, but the industry decreased after the cold war. The main exports are machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, base metals, and chemicals. Agriculture also remains a significant part of the Slovak economy. The country imports large quantities of oil, natural gas, and machinery. The nation's main trade partners are Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, France, and Italy. Moreover, as for the current status of women in Slovakia, women are equal under the law and have the same rights to property and inheritance as men. However, the nation suffers from many of the problems associated with the transformation to a market economy. Poverty has increased among single mothers, and many families have seen real declines in their living standards. Women earn on average thirty percent less than men. Child-care centers, which were once free, are now closed in large numbers. Women are often the victims of domestic violence; Romany women and other ethnic minorities are vulnerable to violence and rape, and there have been reports of Romany women being surgically sterilized without their consent. Also, prostitution has dramatically increased. Human trafficking in female sex slaves is a major problem. Slovakia's educational system provides education for children ages six to fourteen. Primary education involves grades one through five. After primary school, students may choose one of three educational paths: vocational or technical schools; gymnasia, which offer general education in preparation for university; and teacher training. There are separate institutions for students who want to specialize in the arts. Students are instructed in Slovak and are required to study two foreign languages besides their native language; English and German are the most popular choices. When a student finishes gymnasium, they take a written examination to enter a university. The oldest college in Slovakia is Comenius University, in Bratislava(Slovakia's capital), which was founded in 1467. There is a total of fourteen institutions of higher education, including technical schools. Universities offer many programs for adults who choose to continue their studies. In Slovakia, about forty percent of Slovaks live in the countryside, usually in small houses with gardens. The rest of the population live in cities or in apartments, though many city dwellers also own country homes, visiting them on weekends and holidays and using the land to grow vegetables for their own consumption. The cost of living has increased since the end of Communism, which has caused difficulty for many people. The most expensive pat of the country is Bratislava. Public transportation via trains and buses is widely available and inexpensive, with buses costing more than trains; many people choose to travel by motorcycle or bicycle. Air pollution is a problem in the cities. Health care in Slovakia is a bit shaky. To illustrate, the country has struggled to find the money to pay for public health doctors, and the pharmaceutical distribution system sometimes breaks down because the government does not pay for pharmacists. Also, respiratory diseases caused by smoking and air pollution, high cholesterol, and alcoholism are the biggest health problems in Slovakia. Lyme disease occurs occasionally. Lifespan expectancy is over seventy-four years. Fertility is low, with about 1.3 children born per woman in 2005.
Geography:
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in central Europe. The country has a total area of 48,845 sq km (18,860 sq mi), including 45 sq km (17 sq mi) of water. The nation borders Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine. The capital is Bratislava, which lies on the Danube. The highest point in Slovakia is Gerlachovsky, at 2,655 m (8,711 ft), and the lowest point is on the Bodrok River, at 94 m (308 ft). The climate of Slovakia is under the influence of the continental weather system predominant in eastern Europe. Winters are cold, cloudy, and humid; high levels of humidity and cloud cover tend to be more visible in the valleys and areas of lower elevation. The mountains are deeply covered in snow from early November through April. Summers are generally pleasant, and at lower elevations frosts are rare in between the beginning of April and the end of October. The average temperature nationwide ranges from 6°C to 10°C (43°F to 50°F). The lowlands are warmer than the western parts of the country.Spring is usually cooler than fall. Rainfall increases to the east, and the maximum rainfall occurs in the summer, although the Danubian plains receives the second most accumulation of higher rainfall in the month of October. Although the western part of the nation receive less precipitation overall, seasonal distribution of rain makes the region more suitable for cultivation.
In Slovakia, there is one type of government, Parliamentary Democracy. The head of government is the Prime Minster Robert Fico, since July 2, 2006. Their constitution was ratified on September 1, 1992, effective on January 1, 1993, and then later changed on September of 1998 to allow direct election of the president. The three main systems in Slovakia's government is the legislative, executive, and judiciary system. The only legislative body in the Slovak Republic is the National Council of Slovak Republic. The council consists of 150 members of parliament, each elected for a four-year term. These members are elected by a fair secret ballot. The executive consists of the president being the head of the Slovak Republic. The president preforms their duties of the office in accordance to his or her conscience. A Slovakian citizen is eligible to vote(all Slovaks over the age of 18). Citizens of Slovakia chooses a president for a five-year by secret ballots. Candidates for a president can be nominated by at least 15 members of the parliament or by at least 15,000 citizen voters. A candidate must receive the majority of the votes in order to win. The judiciary system is composed of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic along with other courts. The Constitutional Court is an independent judicial authority with the ability to confirm laws with the constitution. If the court finds that laws or regulations violate the constitution then they have six months to improvise them.
People:
The ethnic composition of the population in Slovakia is very diverse. For example, eighty-five percent of the population consists of ethnic Slovaks. Hungarians make up the largest minority group with ten percent of citizenry. Germans, Czechs, Poles, Ruthenians, and Ukrainians amount to more than 0.3 percent of the total. There exists a substantial Romany, or Gypsy, community, contributing to around 2 percent of the population. Major religions practiced in Slovakia are: Christianity, Catholicism(sixty percent of nation's people), Orthodox Christians(four percent), Lutheranism, and almost ten percent of people claim themselves as atheists. A holiday celebrated in Slovakia is, All Daints' Day. All Saints' Day is a Christian feast that honors all the saints. It is an annual religious celebration that takes place on November 1. Marriages in Slovakia are considered as rites of passage. In Slovakian weddings, before the couple exchanges their wedding vows, a child is placed on their bed to bless them with children in the future. Also the bride is given three covered dishes: the first one contains wheat, a symbol of fertility; a mixture of millet and ash is in the second dish, and the bride has to sift through the mixture in order to display her patience; and the third dish contains a sparrow hidden under the lid for good luck. The wedding ceremony takes place in a local chapel in the presence of friends and family members. After the wedding the bride changes her wedding veil and puts on a matron's bonnet, which completes her transformation from a single woman to a married one. Traditional Slovakian songs are sung, and this ritual is followed by a big reception. Singing, dancing, dining, and rituals are an integral part of the reception. As is customary the bride has to cover her head with a handkerchief and, taking up a broom, has to sweep the area near the reception hall to the tune of a polka, a lively dance that originated in Bohemia and spread to many countries in the region.
Society:
The current state of Slovakia's economy is not so good. Unemployment and corruption have been persistent problems for the post–cold war governments, and exports have significantly declined as the nation's traditional markets, including Russia and the Ukraine, have endured their own economic problems. The majority of the jobs involve manufacturing and agriculture. The main industries are metal products, food and beverages, nuclear fuel, ceramics, rubber products, mining, electricity, gas, coke, oil, machinery, textiles, chemicals, and paper and printing. Weapons manufacturing was a major industry during the cold war, but the industry decreased after the cold war. The main exports are machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, base metals, and chemicals. Agriculture also remains a significant part of the Slovak economy. The country imports large quantities of oil, natural gas, and machinery. The nation's main trade partners are Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, France, and Italy. Moreover, as for the current status of women in Slovakia, women are equal under the law and have the same rights to property and inheritance as men. However, the nation suffers from many of the problems associated with the transformation to a market economy. Poverty has increased among single mothers, and many families have seen real declines in their living standards. Women earn on average thirty percent less than men. Child-care centers, which were once free, are now closed in large numbers. Women are often the victims of domestic violence; Romany women and other ethnic minorities are vulnerable to violence and rape, and there have been reports of Romany women being surgically sterilized without their consent. Also, prostitution has dramatically increased. Human trafficking in female sex slaves is a major problem. Slovakia's educational system provides education for children ages six to fourteen. Primary education involves grades one through five. After primary school, students may choose one of three educational paths: vocational or technical schools; gymnasia, which offer general education in preparation for university; and teacher training. There are separate institutions for students who want to specialize in the arts. Students are instructed in Slovak and are required to study two foreign languages besides their native language; English and German are the most popular choices. When a student finishes gymnasium, they take a written examination to enter a university. The oldest college in Slovakia is Comenius University, in Bratislava(Slovakia's capital), which was founded in 1467. There is a total of fourteen institutions of higher education, including technical schools. Universities offer many programs for adults who choose to continue their studies. In Slovakia, about forty percent of Slovaks live in the countryside, usually in small houses with gardens. The rest of the population live in cities or in apartments, though many city dwellers also own country homes, visiting them on weekends and holidays and using the land to grow vegetables for their own consumption. The cost of living has increased since the end of Communism, which has caused difficulty for many people. The most expensive pat of the country is Bratislava. Public transportation via trains and buses is widely available and inexpensive, with buses costing more than trains; many people choose to travel by motorcycle or bicycle. Air pollution is a problem in the cities. Health care in Slovakia is a bit shaky. To illustrate, the country has struggled to find the money to pay for public health doctors, and the pharmaceutical distribution system sometimes breaks down because the government does not pay for pharmacists. Also, respiratory diseases caused by smoking and air pollution, high cholesterol, and alcoholism are the biggest health problems in Slovakia. Lyme disease occurs occasionally. Lifespan expectancy is over seventy-four years. Fertility is low, with about 1.3 children born per woman in 2005.
Geography:
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in central Europe. The country has a total area of 48,845 sq km (18,860 sq mi), including 45 sq km (17 sq mi) of water. The nation borders Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine. The capital is Bratislava, which lies on the Danube. The highest point in Slovakia is Gerlachovsky, at 2,655 m (8,711 ft), and the lowest point is on the Bodrok River, at 94 m (308 ft). The climate of Slovakia is under the influence of the continental weather system predominant in eastern Europe. Winters are cold, cloudy, and humid; high levels of humidity and cloud cover tend to be more visible in the valleys and areas of lower elevation. The mountains are deeply covered in snow from early November through April. Summers are generally pleasant, and at lower elevations frosts are rare in between the beginning of April and the end of October. The average temperature nationwide ranges from 6°C to 10°C (43°F to 50°F). The lowlands are warmer than the western parts of the country.Spring is usually cooler than fall. Rainfall increases to the east, and the maximum rainfall occurs in the summer, although the Danubian plains receives the second most accumulation of higher rainfall in the month of October. Although the western part of the nation receive less precipitation overall, seasonal distribution of rain makes the region more suitable for cultivation.